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Kiwis lead in heart attacks

22/04/2010 1:15:00 PM, Health Hub staff Prev Next

Fifty per cent more Kiwis die of heart attacks each year than in other developed nations, a study has shown.

The report showed 63 out of every 100,000 New Zealanders die of heart attacks every year.

Next on the list was Britain with 45 per 100,000, while France had just 21 deaths, according to media reports.

The average number of deaths is 44 out of 100,000 when looking at all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

Unhealthy lifestyles, obesity and diabetes were listed as contributing factors to the high number of heart attacks by Heart Foundation medical director Professor Norman Sharpe.

Sharpe told reporters of the deaths were "premature and preventable" and that Kiwis were "not as effective at prevention".

The study also showed also showed that New Zealand spends less on hospitals and healthcare than comparable countries.

The study was done by Johns Hopkins University and funded by the United States-based Commonwealth Fund.

User comments

We are not as effective at prevention and also need to improve our treatments.

I appreciate the above comments and would like to add, prevention is the key! We must take the control back into our own hands. A system, government or otherwise, has never found a way to prevent heart attacks. Individuals are the ones who have control. Genetics, gender and age play a rather small part and cannot be controlled, but the major risk factors (ie. cholesterol, smoking, nutrition, exercise, obesity) all can be controlled with education and effort. Unfortunately for most, the first warning of heart disease is sudden death! Not much of a warning!! So don't wait, talk to your GP and get you labs done, work with a gym or trainer, get advice in nutrition, do what it takes to protect yourself. In various parts of New Zealand we are fortunate to have the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP), a non-profit initiative to educated those in the community how to lower their risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and obesity. Check it out online www.chip.org.nz

I really don't mind paying extra tax in GST or in any other way provided it went straight into health care or schooling and not into the salaries and perks of administrators. Private health insurance is an unaffordable luxury nowadays. Well ours is at nearly $400.00 a month and it's not flash, so it's no wonder baby boomers have pulled out of it. Neither of us have used it in over 10 years, but I guess if we got rid of it, it's then when difficulties would arise. We should not kid ourselves. I don't know what a first world health system is anymore. I'm from the UK and it was great when I was growing up, but there are many problems with it now and substandard care certainly exists in some parts. It's seems to be lucky-dip almost, depending on where you live - not so different from here, really.

LET BE YOUR FOOD YOUR MEDICINE - AND YOUR MEDICINE, YOUR FOOD EVEN SO, WITHOUT EXERCISE YOU WASTING YOUR TIME LISTEN TO YOUR BODY ONE HOUR AFTER YOUR MEAL! ! !

Many baby boomers do not have health insurance and the cost of primary care has became a major barrier to accessing health care. Similarly the access to cardiac surgery in the public system is very difficult and the cost of private surgery makes it unattainable for most with out insurance. Some reasons are - 1. We were brought up with an excellent public health system and our parents saw no reason to advise us that health insurance was necessary. 2. By the time the writing was on the wall many of us had pre exisiting conditions that limited our access to health insurance. 3. Health insurance costs are prohibitive to the majority of New Zealanders who are self employed. A tax break on premiums would send a signal of the importance government places on health care. Other factors as mentioned in the report pertain to most first world countries. The closest healthcare model to our own is Great Britain and they come second on the above list.

I know of several men in NZ who have died waiting in the public system for CABG surgery. These people have been to the lay observer fit and healthy. That is, nonsmoking, fit and not overweight. I think stress is a major factor and that these statistics relate to New Zealands socioeconomics more than anything (men working hard, long hours to support their families to first world standards). My husband who is in the above category is probably only alive today because I would not accept Auckland hospital's decision to place him on a waiting list . We were told the list was 2-3 months long but on consulting a private cardiologist were told that in reality time on the list was likely to be 12-18 months if we were lucky and that my husbands heart condition was such that if he did have a heart attack it would likely be his only and final one! Fortunately, we were in a postion to borrow the money for surgery. A heartfelt thanks to cardiologist and surgeon. Others are not so lucky.

I really believe that we must fully get educated really quickly and action heart disease and attacks start to change our lifestyles and ways completely. Or we will continue to die very early deaths , change our ways for the generations ahead lead by example cause our kids will do exactly what we have been brought up with fry ups alcohol cigarettes drugs and stress foul language you name it. Heart attacks heart disease early deaths grieving familys??.

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